Tell the World

Have to admit when a friend gave me this DVD and I looked at the cover, was expecting this production to be just another cheaply done, unconvincing 'story of a church'. How wrong I was! From the first image on screen, I was drawn in and astounded at the strong production values and remained so till the very closing scene. I also kept expecting the performances to leave me wanting to hide my face in embarrassment - this didn't happen. It's rare to find such a professional cast and production crew allocated to a movie of this kind. Perhaps the DVD cover could do with a minor re design - just to give it a little more of an appealing appearance (even though it's quite good as is - ?) Perhaps some viewers not interested in the subject might find it a little bland at times but I was fascinated. Worth investing the time to watch.

Tommie-Amber Pirie as Ellen White, had me wanting to cry along with her during many powerful emotional scenes. Stephen MacDonald fully convinced as her supportive husband, in fact most all cast members were well above average. British born Cameraman Peter Moss (cameraman under D.O.P. Don McApline on 'Breaker Morant' '8o) captures all the stunning beauty of the rural county side and adds visual depth to the many dramatic scenes throughout this deeply moving drama. Moss has as director, the award winning Kyle Portbury who keeps the story moving with his strong guidance.

Canadian Composer Catalin Marin beautifully underscores the action and characters - the musical arranger is not listed on this IMDb page but all orchestrations are splendid. Some reviewers have made a point of noting what they felt was 'fiddling' by the producers - claiming they made alterations to the directors original work. Maybe this is so, maybe not?. But, are not the producers the folk who put up all the money and employ the director? So why these complaints? I imagine the result might have been the length of the finished movie - yes it was a little long but, it at least held your interest - so apart from being a little episodic (as is the nature of the story anyway) - it leaves me unsure just what these complaints are all about?

I had heard and read parts of this historical story over the years but never was it made so clear before this production. I'm not all that sure how much difference it makes but tend to agree that, according to the early calendar, Saturday is the seventh day of the week - this then is the true Sabath, making it the day we were meant to worship (not SUN-day) There are also of course, still some who continue to put prophetic dates on Christ's return, but why?...If his coming is told in scriptures as being: "Like a thief in the night" why would you need a circle on a calendar! Just be ready at ALL times.

We are urged to get a copy of Tell The World and the Great Disappointment of 1844 BUT what about the Directors Great Disappointment of 2015. Producers hang your heads in shame for ruining an excellent story line in this movie. It is not hard to pick the professional version. Well done to Kyle for his passion, dedication and hard work. What a great pity nobody gets to see his version. The lengths some Producers go to for recognition and self gratification. Again I say Shame on you Producers. The movie was factual but could have done without the hot air balloons. The acting was superb and brilliantly directed. The length of the producers version is far too lengthy.

Before seeing Tell the World I didn't have much expectations but I was amazed by the production and was eager to see how the film would play itself out. Unfortunately the producers had the final say in post-production and added an extra hour of boredom to the film.

The problem was that there was too much to digest in one sitting. 2 in a half hours! I felt this should of been a two part film at least. It was as if the producers wanted to get every detail, and every date exactly right at the cost of the audience attention span.

The only interesting part of the movie was when the two 'main' characters William Miller and Ellen White had their stories shared on screen. It had a good contrast and kept me interested. However Miller's story at the beginning and White's story at the end dragged on terribly. People began to sleep when we viewed it in our church hall. If I wanted to know every detail and date of what happen in Ellen's life I'd read a history book or watch a documentary.

I was also constantly spammed with dates and locations and as a viewer I had to calculate how many years had passed while trying to absorb the overwhelming amount of scenes (200+). Literally there would be a new date, and one conversation within the scene and then the next date with a new scene. No respect for pacing.

As a film, Tell the World over delivers and tells too much that an Adventist or Non-Adventist would struggle to sit through.

TL;DR

Producers felt the need to put in every detail and date and ended up making a boring sequence of events rather than a feature film with interesting characters to develop the story. Give it back to the Director. That's their job.

The characters were brought to life in this film. These are characters I have read about but after seeing this film almost feel I know. The casting was well done as was the acting. The characters' humanity is portrayed, the conversations realistic even to today, especially those between husband and wife. The story was well written and interesting. I learned a lot while not feeling that I was learning. It was both educational and entertaining. It seemed well researched to me. It was consistent with books I have read on the subject. I do agree that the movie covers a lot of material in a short time. This was not difficult for me as I was already familiar with the subject matter. However, I can see where it might be a lot of history to digest in one sitting for anyone for whom

the subject matter is new. For this reason I would have preferred it broken into parts as in a mini series. Nonetheless, it was an excellent production and well done!

The characters are believable. They do justice to the true story of the origin of this faith. I recommend it for religious and non-religious folk alike. It brings out a historical understanding of what life was like back then. The cinematography was quite impressive and the acting is classic. I have watched it several times now and plan on more viewings still. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did if not more so. One of the greatest values I believe this film possesses is that it tells the story from the perspective of those who lived it. It's precious, it's moving, and totally uplifting. It grows easy to become emotionally invested into what these people had to go through. It also showcases some of the timeless accomplishments that were achieved through the spiritual focus and determination they possessed. Great work and hats off to the cast and crew!